Quick answer: 14-day China itinerary covering Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 through Day 14. Best months: April-May and September-October. Avoid July-August (heat + Chinese summer holidays) and major Chinese holidays (Golden Week Oct 1-7, Spring Festival).. Total cost: US$2500-4500 mid-range / US$8000+ luxury per person..
Two weeks for China = 4 nights Beijing, 2 nights Xian (Terracotta Warriors), 2 nights Chengdu (pandas + Sichuan food), 3 nights Shanghai, 3 nights Guilin + Yangshuo. High-speed rail makes this manageable. Built across 2 personal China trips.
Day-by-day breakdown
Day 1
Arrive Beijing. Stay near Forbidden City or Sanlitun. Evening: Peking duck dinner at Da Dong or Quanjude.
Day 2
Beijing classics: Tiananmen Square + Forbidden City + Jingshan Park sunset. Walking tour through hutong alleys.
Day 3
Great Wall day trip: Mutianyu section (less crowded than Badaling) + cable car up + toboggan down. Evening: traditional kung fu show.
Day 4
Beijing: Temple of Heaven morning + Summer Palace afternoon + Wangfujing market evening street food.
Day 5
High-speed train Beijing to Xian (5h, $90). Stay near Bell Tower. Evening Muslim Quarter food crawl.
Day 6
Xian Terracotta Warriors full day + tomb mound. City Wall biking sunset + dumpling banquet dinner.
Day 7
Fly Xian to Chengdu (2h, $100). Settle near Kuanzhai Alley. Evening Sichuan hot pot.
Day 8
Chengdu Panda Research Base early morning (panda feeding 8-10am). Afternoon: People’s Park tea house + Wenshu Monastery.
Day 9
Fly Chengdu to Shanghai (3h, $130). Settle French Concession. Evening: Bund waterfront night view.
Day 10
Shanghai classics: The Bund + Yu Garden + Shanghai Museum + Tianzifang shopping lanes.
Day 11
Shanghai day: Disneyland (if family) OR Suzhou day trip (1h train, classical Chinese gardens) OR Zhujiajiao water town.
Day 12
Fly Shanghai to Guilin (3h) then bus/taxi to Yangshuo (90 min). Settle in West Street area. Evening: Impression Liu Sanjie outdoor show on Li River.
Day 13
Li River cruise + Yangshuo bike ride through karst peaks. Cooking class for Sichuan-style food.
Day 14
Fly Guilin to Shanghai or Beijing then home. Or extend to Hong Kong (3h fly) for 3 more days.
What to book ahead
- Chinese visa: Apply 1-2 months before trip via Chinese consulate. Tourist L visa requires hotel bookings + itinerary. New visa-free transit available some cities (check current rules).
- High-speed rail tickets: Book on trip.com or China Railway app 30 days ahead. Beijing-Xian, Xian-Shanghai etc. Window seats are scenic.
- Internal flights: Air China + China Eastern + China Southern. 30-60 days ahead. $100-200 per flight.
- Great Wall Mutianyu tickets: Book online 1-2 weeks ahead. Include round-trip cable car + toboggan options.
A local insider tip
Skip the over-touristed Forbidden City + Great Wall Badaling stretches and instead visit Mutianyu (less crowded with toboggan ride) and the lesser-known White Pagoda hutong on the way back to Tiananmen. The hutong (alley) walk reveals authentic Beijing 1000x better than any tour bus loop. Free.
Best time for this trip
April-May and September-October. Avoid July-August (heat + Chinese summer holidays) and major Chinese holidays (Golden Week Oct 1-7, Spring Festival).
Frequently asked questions
Is 2 weeks enough for China?
Yes for the classic 5-city circuit. 21 days adds Tibet (special permit needed), Yunnan (Lijiang/Shangri-La), or Hong Kong + Macau extension. China is enormous.
How much does a 2-week China trip cost?
Mid-range: US$2500-4500. Luxury: US$8000+. Cheaper than Japan by 30-40%. Internal flights + visa add to base costs.
Do I need Chinese for tourism?
Translation apps essential. English signage in tourist areas okay but limited at restaurants/transport. Bring offline Pleco app + Google Translate (need VPN for Google in China).
Internet in China?
Most Western services blocked (Google, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc). Buy VPN BEFORE arriving. Get China SIM card with international roaming. Or use eSIM.
Payment in China?
Cashless society. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with international card BEFORE arriving. Many places no longer accept cash.
Plan your China trip
Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.